Boston 21st May 1778
Honble Gentlemen,
Your Fav’r of the 20 Ultimo1 reach’d Me last Ev’g Im pleas’d the Difficulty with Mr Grant2 is like to be accomodated, little of ye Salt remains on hand being obliged to apply great Parts of it to comply with Engagements I had made to sundry Persons for Flax Seed having been disappointed in ye Quantity that was on Board the Industrious Bee,3 that Cargo not turning out near so much as was expected— I’m glad the Case of ye Ship Peggy is soon to be tried—4 yesterday arriv’d here a Ship mounting 18 six Pounders5 the Engagement has done honour to our Captains, she is one of two Captures Ships taken by ye Oliver Cromwell6 & Defence,7 belonging to Connecticut & fitted out here, another Ship, captur’d at the same time & mounting sixteen 6 Pounders8 is not yet arriv’d— at the Time of Action on Board the Defence were twenty under Innoculation, The late Resolves respecting Frigates assisting each other gives the highest Satisfaction—9 the printers made a mistake in dating the Resolves & went back to ye 6th March but it was soon rectified— I have the Honour to be [&c.]
J B—
LB, DLC, John Bradford Letter Books, vol. 2, p. 134. Addressed at top: “The honble Marine Board.”
1. Letter not found.
2. Thomas Grant. For more on Grant and brig Friendship, see Bradford to Continental Commerce Committee, 15 Apr., above.
3. Brigantine Industrious Bee was refitted and renamed Continental Navy brigantine General Gates, Capt. John Skimmer, commander.
4. See Continental Marine Committee to Continental Navy Board of the Eastern Department, 9 May, above. For more on ship Peggy, James Kennedy, master, see NDAR 6: 15, 163–64; 7: 137; 11: 653.
5. British letter of marque ship Cyrus, Capt. Christopher Deake, taken on 15 Apr. east of St. Kitts.
6. Connecticut Navy ship Oliver Cromwell, Capt. Timothy Parker, commander. For Parker’s accounts of this engagement, see Captain Timothy Parker to Governor Jonathan Trumbull, 20 Apr., 3 letters, above.
7. Connecticut Navy ship Defence, Capt. Samuel Smedley, commander. For Smedley’s account of this engagement, see Captain Samuel Smedley to Governor Jonathan Trumbull, 20 Apr., above.
8. British letter of marque Admiral Keppel, Capt. Abraham Brown, taken on 15 Apr. east of St. Kitts.
9. See Journal of the Continental Congress, 6 May, above.
